Rose Museum’s satellite gallery opens on Main Street

Thursday

Travel down Main Street on a busy afternoon and you’re bound to see someone peering through the glass at the neon “Rosebud” sign in the seemingly empty storefront of 683 Main St.

Those curious enough to enter will find the Rosebud art gallery, a satellite gallery of the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University. The organizers created the pop-up gallery to strengthen ties with the community and bring Waltham closer to the museum.

“We thought, ‘how can a museum of the 21st century serve its public?’” said Kristin Parker, the deputy director at the Rose Art Museum. “There are pop-up stores and shops, why not a gallery?”

She said the Rose Museum gets a good number of visitors, but opening the Rosebud is the museum’s way of saying, “We’ll come to you.”

Parker said she is delighted with the location of the gallery, which opened on Sept. 12, noting that its proximity to the Common as well as all the shops and eateries on Main Street make it a great spot for foot traffic.

“I’ve met some really great people, a whole range of ages and cultures, just walking by,” she said.

On Friday afternoon, just before the gallery opened for the evening, a man came by the space to talk about Rex Trailer, who filmed in the space on Main Street more than 50 years ago.

Trailer was a Boston-based television personality, best known for hosting the children's television show “Boomtown.”

“Everybody has a story to tell about the neighborhood or that they’re happy we’re here,” Parker said.

The history of the building, and Rex Trailer, comes through in the art the gallery chooses to display.

Parker said because of climate control issues, the museum couldn’t transport a lot of its collection, but there is a perfect place in the building to display pieces from the museum’s video collection.

The video on display at the Rosebud is called “Tide Table”, an eight-minute long animated film by the South African artist William Kentridge.

Parker said she chose the piece because it was accessible, with a narrative and style that is less challenging than some of the more abstract and conceptual pieces the museum has to offer.

Parker said that last week, two older women stopped by the entrance to look at the gallery. When Parker was able to coax them in through the door, the women watched the film four times in a row.

Another reason Parker chose the film was because she felt it was conducive to conversations about art, politics and a host of other topics. Parker hopes the gallery can be a space of conversation and creation.

She said she has spoken with Waltham Public Schools as well as numerous local organizations, such as the local non-profit “More Than Words”, to find opportunities for collaboration.

Parker said she hopes people can come to the gallery to look at art, create art, play music, recite poetry, and she is open to any ideas from people within the community.

The gallery, which is open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursdays, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, is scheduled to be open through November.

Parker said she hopes the Rose Museum can forge relationships in the community through the Rosebud Gallery, and can learn where and how to expand in the future.